US strikes Venezuela and captures president Nicolás Maduro – in pictures

<p>A surprise pre-dawn attack saw US forces capture and depose the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores. Maduro’s ouster sparked both celebration and defiance around the world, as Donald Trump claimed the US was now ‘in charge’ of the South American country and its oil supplies</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/04/tactical-surprise-and-air-dominance-how-the-us-snatched-maduro-in-two-and-a-half-hours">Months in planning, over in two and a half hours: how the US snatched Maduro</a></p></li></ul> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2026/jan/07/us-venezuela-attack-maduro-arrest-in-pictures">Continue reading...</a>